Title

Author

Keywords

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, Wood stork

Abstract

An instantaneous sampling system was used to quantify nest attentiveness and time budget of a pair of Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) nesting at the Moore Creek colony on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in 1977. The amount of time devoted to various activities during each stage of the 4-month reproductive cycle was examined and differences between stages evaluated. During the incubation period an adult was constantly at the nest site and the birds shared equally in the incubation duties. During the first four weeks of the 8-week pre-flight nestling stage, an adult was with the chicks continuously, although the adults discontinued brooding after the first week. In the latter four weeks of the pre-flight stage and 4-week post-flight stage, the amount of time spent in the colony by the adults diminished until the parents only returned to the colony for several minutes per day to feed the young. The time devoted to incubation, brooding, nest maintenance, and sexual displays declined during the breeding season, while the time spent "loafing" and away from the colony increased. Next defense, chick maintenance, and standing at the nest were maximal during the first half of the pre-flight stage.

Notes

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